Protesters in South Africa have given all illegal immigrants an ultimatum to leave the country by Tuesday, ahead of anti-immigrant rallies that many fear will turn violent. Thousands of foreign Africans are heading home or huddling together in camps for fear of being attacked, though the group organizing the protests, March and March, claims it is peaceful.

Claims and Reality

Anti-foreigner groups say South Africa is overrun with illegal immigrants who take jobs away from South Africans, use up scarce public services, and are responsible for high crime rates. However, statistics show that there are 3.1 million migrants in South Africa, equivalent to about 4.1% of the population, which is low by international standards.

A national statistics office survey in 2023 showed that the number of migrants in South Africa has actually decreased from 5.6% of the population a decade ago. Additionally, prison population figures from the justice department in 2017 showed that only 6% of the prison population were foreigners, with most of their crimes being immigration violations.

Experts also argue that migrants create jobs for South Africans, with a 2018 World Bank report showing that for every migrant employed, about two jobs are created for South Africans through business activity. Furthermore, undocumented migrants are unlikely to use public hospitals or schools, as they must register and fear being found out.

Xenophobia and Its Roots

Historically, the apartheid government used migrant labor from all over Africa to keep wages low in gold mines and undermine unions, a policy that has been burned into the collective memory. Today, high unemployment rates, poor service delivery, and inequality have fueled anger that is easily directed towards migrants. Politicians also stoke this anger around election time, with local elections due by November this year.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.